Commanders head coach calls it 'fair' to expect team to draft quarterback

It is a poorly kept secret at this point that the Washington Commanders are going to be in the market for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. New head coach Dan Quinn pretty much confirmed that on Saturday at the league's owner's meetings when he said it would be "fair" to envision the team will be selecting a quarterback in this year's class.

He just did not specify when it would happen.

Or which quarterback it would be. 

"I would say it'd be fair to envision we'd be taking a quarterback," Quinn said, via NFL.com. "To say where it'll be happening, I think that's a better question for (general manager) Adam (Peters). As the next weeks unfold there'll be a lot of discussion, and that's why we've had a great trip out seeing some guys, we'll do that some more in the weeks ahead, but I've enjoyed that process with Adam, and going through it. He's somebody that is an absolute expert at this position, what it looks like, where to go, and so going through that process has been really cool."

The Commanders already traded last year's starter, Sam Howell, to the Seattle Seahawks and currently have only Marcus Mariota and Jake Fromm on their depth chart at the position. Neither player is a short-term or long-term answer at the position. 

The Commanders are also in a prime position to potentially land their next franchise quarterback. They own the No. 2 overall pick in what is widely considered to be one of the stronger quarterback draft classes in recent memory. Especially at the top. Quinn can play the "we'll see where we take one" game all he wants, but it would be a shock if they did not take advantage of their position. 

With USC's Caleb Williams expected to go No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, that would leave the Commanders to choose between North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels (the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner). There is not really a consensus on which quarterback is the second-best in this class and it will likely come down to teams splitting hairs between Maye and Daniels. The Commanders' opinion will obviously carry the most weight because they are the ones that are going to actually have to make that decision. 

If they get it right it can jump-start the rebuild for a new front office and coaching staff. If they get it wrong nothing else that they do will matter.